Help with coupler and wheel replacement, IHC/Rivarossi passenger cars

I am just getting back into MRR after being out of it since my teens. I am sure that is a statement heard a lot on there. Recently I got a set of three Budd style passenger cars and from what I can determine they are from IHC/Rivarossi. While they are not the most detailed or accurate car (from what I have read) I could not pass up the 20 bucks for the 5 of them. I am now trying to replace the couples and wheels on them. To that end I looked up on Kadee's website and from their information the wheels would be #530 (non-ribbed) or #533 (ribbed) <insert joke here> 33" metal, non-magnetic, insulated wheels. The site shows #508 as the coupler conversion kit to use for these cars based on the Kadee conversion list under IHC.

I stopped at woo woo woo today and picked up the wheels and couplers mentioned above at lunch. Gotta love living and working close to them. I got home, removed the trucks from one car and replaced the stock wheels. The stock wheels perform well and roll very easily when installed while the new Kadee #533 wheels seems to fit the truck tighter and the part of the truck appear be pushed out a bit compared to the stock wheels. Based on this I don't this these are the correct wheels.

The couplers conversion kit #508 does appear as though it will work on the trucks even if they are modified. I am not really sure where to go with the couplers at this point.

If anyone has changed the wheels and couplers on these cars with Kadee in the past and has any information about the changes I would love to hear it. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I can provide images of what I am dealing with if necessary.

Thanks,
T.E

 

LOL what a coincidence! I just went through this myself. My club does not allow the talgo trucks found on those cars. What I found out it's easier to just body mount the couplers. The wheels, on some of the trucks your gonna have to take a dremel and clean out your space for the spokes a tad.

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The thing that concerns me is possibly breaking them as they seem quite fragile. The coupler issue I think I have resolved and the store I go to has McHenry direct replacement so I will take the Kadee's back and get those.

Guess I need to go buy a dremel.

 

Do you have any issues with turn radius and body mounted couplers?

 

Negative. I have 30 degree radius

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Heres an example.

 

If you're going to do any kind of work (modeling or other), you need the tool to do it. And once you have a Dremel, you'll wonder what you were doing without it. I use it for modeling, electronics work, household, etc. Even working on the car! I bought one 25 years ago and it recently died (and I hought a another one within a week).

I have some Rivarossi passenger cars (heavyweight), though the wheels run very freely, I had to replace the stock horn-hook couplers with Kadees. In my case, it was 505s. There was a bit of adapting work to be done (which is the case with many coupler conversions), but it went smoothly.

 

Did you change out the wheels and use the factory trucks? If so, whatt wheels did you use?

 

I used Intermountain wheels. For some wheel sets I know the spokes have to be cleared a little with a dremel.

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What size, 33 or 36?

 

I believe I went with 33. Once you add a little detail to these cars they look more like $100 cars.

 

Yea I got 33 also. I did notice the wheelset closest to the truck does not roll freely as it touches the truck. I can file that down a bit to resolve it. For couplers I went with McHenry 52's. I will see how it all does tonight on my test track.

 

Yea file it down and you should be good.

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